In this video, we're going to take a look at the developments that took place in
the Season 7 premiere of 'The Curse of Oak Island'. Before we do, though, I have to
ask that, if you haven't done so already, you please consider getting yourself a
copy of my new book 'The Oak Island Encyclopedia'. This book includes a
section on the history of the Oak Island treasure hunt, a plot summary and
analysis for each episode of 'The Curse of Oak Island' from Seasons 1 through 6,
and a detailed description of some of the most popular theories regarding the
nature of the Oak Island treasure and the identity of its depositors. This book
is intended to serve as a companion to the TV show and would make a great
Christmas gift for any fan of 'The Curse of Oak Island' You can find this book on
Amazon, or by clicking one of the links in the description. Season 7 Episode 1 of
'The Curse of Oak Island' begins with Rick Lagina, his nephew, Alex Lagina, and Craig
Tester driving to Oak Island for another season of treasure hunting. During the
drive, we learn that legendary Oak Island treasure hunter Dan Blankenship
passed away in his home on March 17th, 2019, at the age of 95, having dedicated
over 50 years of his life to the search for Oak Island's elusive treasure. Dan
first became involved with the Oak Island treasure hunt in 1966, when he
invested and participated in Robert Dunfield's enterprise. In 1969, he formed
Triton Alliance with treasure hunter Mel Chappell and businessman David Tobias.
The following year, he moved onto the Island full-time and remained there
until his death, spending more time engaged in the quest to solve the
mystery of Oak Island than any other treasure hunter in history. After
mourning Dan Blankenship's passing, the Fellowship of the Dig meets in the War
Room to discuss the plans for the upcoming season. We learn that the team
intends to have Irving Equipment Ltd. add a 50-foot-deep extension, which they
refer to as a "bump-out" to the cofferdam at Smith's Cove, which will allow them to
excavate more of the ground in the vicinity of the mysterious slipway
discovered back in Season 6, Episode 11. They hope that such an excavation will
reveal the presence of artifacts dropped from the ship which possibly moored at
its head when it was in use. The crew also intends to follow up on the results
of the seismic surveys carried out in the swamp by Eagle Canada in Season 6,
Episodes 21 and 22. The survey results are presented
by Steve Guptill, the surveyor who compiled Money Pit survey data back in
Season 6, Episode 16 in an effort to pinpoint the precise location of a
previous searcherr shaft called 'Shaft 6'. Guptill informs the team that the seismic
survey indicates the presence of a 200-foot-long anomaly in the swamp, the shape
of which, Marty Lagina remarks, bears some resemblance to the side profile of a
sailing ship. Marty's observation accords with the
theory, once held by the late treasure hunter Fred Nolan, that an old ship lies
at the bottom of the Oak Island swamp, having been buried by the mysterious
builders of the Money Pit and the Smith's Cove Flood Tunnel. According to this
theory, the eastern and western ends of Oak Island were, at one point, actually
separate islands, joined together in a massive earthworks project by the
original builders. This exotic hypothesis is supported by some intriguing evidence,
including a potential scupper and piece of spar which Nolan discovered in the
swamp in the 1980s; an iron spike retrieved from the swamp, which
antiquities expert Dr. Lori Verderame identified as a nail used in late 17th
Century Spanish galleons; and the wooden plank unearthed from the southwestern
corner of the swamp in Season 4, Episode 3, which was carbon dated from 1680 to
1735. The treasure hunters agree that they ought to investigate this new
anomaly, which Gary Drayton speculates might be the remains of a Spanish
galleon. History cautions us against taking the exciting implication of the
survey results too seriously. Back in Season 6, Eagle Canada conducted
seismic surveys in the Mega Bin and Money Pit areas and retrieved data
indicating the presence of multiple underground chambers. A subsequent
investigation, however, revealed these potential chambers to be nothing more
than pockets of sand and loose earth which were less dense than the
surrounding rock and till. Perhaps a closer examination of the ship anomaly will
yield similar results. The Oak Island team begins their investigation of the
ship anomaly by having diver Tony Sampson explore the area manually. About
15 meters northwest of the anomaly, Sampson discovers a hard object on the
swamp floor using an iron probe. Shortly thereafter, he discovers two similar
objects closer to the edge of the swamp, each of them located directly on a line
between the first object and the point on the shoreline to which it is most
proximate. Samson suggests that the pattern evokes
the cobblestones of an ancient roadway. He dives on the objects, which indeed prove
to be rocks with flat surfaces. He then marks the rocks' locations with
inflatable buoys, allowing Steve Guptill to plot their
coordinates. Later in the episode, Gary Drayton and Charles Barkhouse conduct a
metal detecting operation on Isaac's Point, at the easternmost end of the
Island. This is not the first time such an operation has been carried out at
Isaac's Point. Back in Season 5, Episode 1, Gary Drayton and Peter Fornetti unearthed
the rusted head of an old woodcutter's axe and an 18th Century copper coin of
either French or English origin at that particular section of the Island. In the
following episode, Drayton, Fornetti, and Jack Begley discovered a musket ball and
a neatly-cut quarter of a copper coin, which Drayton suspected might be a
Spanish maravedi. Later, in Season 5, Episode 4, the trio discovered a cowboy-
style cap gun at Isaac's Point which belonged to Richard Restall, who grew up
on the Island with his family in the 1960s. On this latest excursion, Drayton and
Barkhouse uncover a modern 12-gauge shotgun shell. Shortly thereafter, they
discover an old silver laminate dandy button bearing a starburst design, which
Drayton dates from 1650 to 1750. This date range corresponds with many of the
fascinating discoveries made in Season 5, including the human bones discovered in
the Money Pit and the late 17th Century British coins found on Lot 6.
Archaeologist Laird Niven, on the other hand, opines that the object is slightly
younger than Drayton's estimate, dating it from the 1720s to the 1770s- a range
which accords more closely with that of the various wooden structures discovered
at Smith's Cove the previous season. Later in the episode, conservator Kelly
Bourassa professionally cleans the button. Upon consulting Ivor Noel Hume's
1970 book 'A Guide to the Artifacts of Colonial America', he determines that the
artifact was crafted sometime between 1720 and 1770- a range congruent with
Niven's earlier estimate. He also suggests that the button may have been worn by a
military officer. Near the end of the episode, a floating drilling platform is
set up in the swamp for the purpose of exploring the ship anomaly. A drilling
rig is erected and the platform towed into place. The episode ends as the
drill descends into the swamp. Thanks for watching! If you enjoyed this video and
would like to help support this channel, please check out 'The Oak Island
Encyclopedia', which you can find by clicking the link in the description.